In nearly every way, The End of Oak Street offers little that hasn’t been seen before, from the special effects to the characters & narrative structure, right down to its ‘80s suburban setting. This may be the most Spielbergian movie that Spielberg himself had nothing to do with. So why does it feel like such a breath of fresh air?
I suppose part of the reason is that it’s one of the few high-concept audience pictures released this year that isn’t a sequel or remake, nor does it appear to have been made with franchise aspirations. And despite dinosaurs being central to the plot, it doesn’t play like it was calculated to amuse kids or sell tie-in toys (though what kid wouldn’t love to see dinos stomping through their neighborhood?).
But maybe the bigger reason is the film’s earnestness. While Spielberg’s influence is everywhere (as is a bit of Stephen King), there isn’t a trace of cynicism to be found. With the amount of enthusiasm on display, it’s as though director David Robert Mitchell, the cast and an over-achieving special effects team had never heard of Jurassic Park. And while we’re watching, that enthusiasm is infectious, resulting in a ride that’s more fun than any of Jurassic Park’s sequels.
The story is awesome in its simplicity. The Platt family is your typical middle class family in your typical suburban neighborhood. Denise (Anne Hathaway) and Greg (Ewan McGregor) are going through a typical marital rough patch, which concerns their typical teenage kids, Audrey and Brian (Maisi Stella & Christian Covery). However, those problems are set aside (but not forgotten) after the entire neighborhood gets swallowed by a not-so-typical wormhole and transported back to the dinosaur era. With no power, limited food & water and not much in the way of weapons, the Pratts are forced to fight for their lives to avoid being eaten, unsure if returning to their own time is possible.
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| "I told the kids to stop taunting the neighbor's T-Rex." |
Along the way, there are some subplots which vary in interest. Denise and Greg’s relationship ends up being important to the narrative, especially for emotional impact during the final act. Conversely, plot threads involving the kids are underdeveloped and essentially go nowhere. But fortunately, most of the focus is on survival, which isn’t always assured.
Unlike Jurassic Park, the dinos themselves don’t inspire awe (in the characters or the audience), nor are they intended to, which makes sense at this point because that ship sailed back in 1993 and attempting to do it again would be futile. Still, they’re convincingly brought to life with excellent special effects, so it always looks like they’re sharing the same space as the actors. I even found myself rooting for them on occasion, at least when they’re chowing down on some of the secondary characters.
This isn’t to say The End of Oak Street is a great film destined to be a classic. It’s probably a little too derivative for that. But it’s a pretty damned entertaining one and assembled with consummate skill. So perhaps it’s more destined to become one of those “comfort movies,” the kind you pop-in from time to time when all you wanna do is vibe on the sofa with something familiar and reliable.
EXTRA KIBBLES
FEATURETTES - Banding Together: The Making of The End of Oak Street runs about 20 minutes and features interviews with director David Robert Mitchell and most of the main cast; Every Creature Tells a Story: The Dinosaurs of The End of Oak Street focuses on the creation of the various dinosaurs; The Spinosaurus Attack: Driving Fear on Oak Street goes inside the making of one of the movie’s more impressive action sequences.
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